Frequently Asked Questions about the Landsat Missions

This is a common question considered by all users of remotely sensed data. The level of detail (spatial resolution) is often the most interesting aspect of viewing a satellite image, but less appreciated is how changes in irradiative energy reflected by different surface materials are used to identify features of interest.

Penetrates atmospheric haze best, emphasizes vegetation, boundary between land and water, and landforms

The Spectral Characteristics Viewer is an interactive tool developed by scientists at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center to visualize how the bands, or channels, of different satellite sensors measure the intensity of the many wavelengths (colors) of light. This is also known as the relative spectral response (RSR). By overlaying the spectral curves from different features (spectra), one can determine which bands of the selected sensor will work for the application.